Mira
By the time the sun slid past the horizon, I knew the day was about to turn into something dangerous. There was a hum in the air the kind that comes before a storm. Except this storm had legs, silver eyes, and a reputation I didn't trust.
Selena walked into the campus courtyard like she owned it. Heads turned instantly. The new girl wasn't just beautiful she was arresting, the kind of beauty that made you forget what you were doing for a second.
She didn't even glance at me at first, which was almost worse. Like I wasn't worth noticing. But when her gaze finally landed on me, it lingered. A smirk curved her mouth one I'd seen before on predators sizing up prey.
"Well, well," she said, her voice rich and smooth. "You must be Mira."
Zara stepped forward before I could answer. "And you must be lost."
Sahara, standing on my other side, smiled sweetly. "Careful, Zara. She might think you're being rude."
Selena tilted her head, eyes glittering. "Oh, I don't think she's being rude. I think she's trying to protect you." She stepped closer, her scent sharp and deliberate. "From me."
Zara's jaw tightened. "Not 'trying.' Succeeding."
I could feel them circling each other without moving Selena's dominance pressing forward, Zara's stubborn will refusing to bend.
Sahara slid her arm through mine and leaned in, whispering just loud enough for all of us to hear. "She's looking for trouble. Don't give it to her."
But trouble was exactly what followed Selena. Even as she pulled back, she threw one last glance at me over her shoulder, her voice low and promising. "See you in training."
Zara muttered something under her breath. Sahara's grip on my arm tightened just slightly. And all I could think about was how Damon would react to her.
That was the problem. Damon was the problem. Every time I thought I could control the craving for him, it surged back sharp and hot and impossible to ignore. My friends knew it too. They'd been pulling me back from danger all week, and now… now the danger had a name.
(Damon – POV)
When Aiden told me Selena had arrived, I expected some pomp. She thrived on attention. What I didn't expect was for her to immediately zero in on Mira like a hawk.
From where I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, I could read the tension in Mira's stance. Her friends flanked her like guards, their auras sharp with warning.
Interesting.
Selena wasn't stupid she knew who Mira was to me. Which meant her little introduction wasn't random. It was a move.
And if she thought I'd sit back and watch… she was wrong.